Female pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in women.
Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is a distinctive form of hair loss that occurs in women with androgenetic alopecia. Many women are affected by FPHL. In fact, about 40% of women at the age of 50 show signs of hair loss and less than 45% of women reach the age of 80 with full hair.
FPHL has a strong genetic predisposition. The mode of inheritance is polygenic, indicating that there are many genes that contribute to FPHL, and these genes could be inherited from either parent, or both. Genetic testing to assess risk of balding is currently not recommended, as it is unreliable.
Ludwig Scale
The Ludwig scale is a method of classifying female pattern hair loss (androgenic alopecia), similar to what the Norwood-Hamilton scale represents for male pattern baldness.
